The Christmas Shoes
by sburbiangodtier
Summary: When Xemnas goes out to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, he doesn't realize that he's going to get more than he bargained for. A short one-shot songfiction. Xemnas/Saix & Marluxia/Vexen mentioned. K for shonen-ai.


The Christmas Shoes

...

No copyright infringement here! The characters I use here belong to Square Enix and Disney, and the song is copywrited to Newsong. I stake claim to nothing except the idea for this fic.

It's a bit early for holiday stories, but I was listening to this song today, and had the urge to write this after it moved me to tears...again. Besides, it's July. What can be better than Christmas in July? By the way, if you haven't yet heard this song, I urge you to go to youtube and listen to it! It's a beautiful song. :3 And the movie. The movie had me in tears by the time it was over.

...

Xemnas pulled his wool overcoat closer to himself in the biting winds. Small snowflakes fluttered through the air as he walked down the busy sidewalk to Riku's Department Store. It was Christmas Eve, and just like every year before, Xemnas had procrastinated until the last minute. He was out to buy a few more gifts for relatives and friends, hopefully finishing up by the time the stores closed. He wanted to get home before at least midnight.

The silver-haired man wasn't really in the Christmas mood however, because just that afternoon, he'd had a fight with his lover, Saix. Because of a business meeting that had run late, Xemnas had been very late in getting to Saix's house to help him do some last-minute gift wrapping, and Saix had blown up on him, telling him how he was sick of Xemnas putting his work and job before everything else in his life. They'd exchanged some heated words, including some things that Xemnas had told Saix that now made him feel a bit guilty and sick, and he'd walked out of the house. Now, he found himself walking down Main Street into a department store, his anger blown away in the wind and only left with an empty and lonely feeling inside.

He'd figured that he should probably get his shopping finished up, so he pulled open one of the double doors, the Christmas bells hanging from the ceiling announcing his arrival in the shop merrily.

Several store clerks looked up in his direction, but Xemnas paid no mind as he glanced around. He saw a Moogle plushie that he picked up for a niece and a pearl necklace for his sister. After a few more choices, he headed towards the counter to make his purchases.

As he stood there in the long line, he took notice of the little boy standing right in front of him. Judging from his height, he couldn't have been more than nine years old. He was fidgety, hopping from one foot to the other, like most little boys do. Xemnas figured that his father was standing nearby, waiting for him to buy his goodies, so they could get home to a warm house.

But on further notice, he saw that the only item the boy held in his hands were a pair of shoes. These shoes weren't the most attractive thing on the market. They were made of red faux leather, with stringy faux fur lining the inside of them, and a little bow with a fake rhinestone on the instep. Xemnas cast a closer glance at the holder of said shoes, and saw that his clothes were more threadbare and tattered than what could possibly keep him warm, and his coat was at least two sizes too small for him. His pale face was smudged with dirt, possibly from slipping in a slushy puddle outside? His hair was a brownish blonde, and stuck up in a mullet/Mohawk style. How he kept his hair up like that was beyond Xemnas' comprehension. But it was the sparkle in his cerulean eyes that made Xemnas really pay attention.

It was finally the boy's turn to pay for the shoes, and he stepped up to the counter. Xemnas waited, but with the boy's firm words, he couldn't believe what he heard him say.

"Sir, I wanna buy these shoes, for my Mama, please. It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time. You see, she's been sick for quite a while, and I know these shoes will make her smile. I want her to look beautiful, if Mama meets Jesus tonight."

Xemnas was taken aback. This little boy was giving these shoes to his dying mother? What kind of faith did he have that made him so strong to face such a mind-blowing fact? Xemnas' mind was brought back to his own elderly mother, who was safe and warm at home tonight with his father, most likely sitting on the loveseat in front of a roaring fire together. He couldn't imagine living without his mother, and to think that a boy so young was going to lose his!

But then the little boy pulled out a small Ziploc baggie of coins. He dumped them out on the table and began to count them very slowly, but with such precision and care. But when his total only came to 6. 75, the cashier gently plucked the shoes out of the boy's hands and said compassionately, "Son, there's not enough here."

The boy's eyes widened and he began to search through his coat and pants pockets frantically. Upon finding nothing, he turned to look at Xemnas. He pulled out a wrinkled picture of three people, a tall blonde man and a shorter pink-haired woman, who were standing a smiling at the camera. They had their arms wrapped around each other's waists and the little boy was clinging to their free hands with a huge grin on his face. Something about the picture made Xemnas' heart wrench. But the boy pointed to the pink-haired image and said, "Mama made Christmas good at our house, though, most years she just did without. Tell me, sir, what am I gonna do? Somehow, I gotta buy her these Christmas shoes."

Xemnas was quiet for a moment, but in his heart, he knew what he had to do. Stirred to tears by the boy's dilemma, he pulled out his wallet and laid the proper amount down on the counter. He swept the coins back into the baggie and handed it back to the boy. The boy's shining eyes told the story, and Xemnas knew he'd never forget that look on his face.

"Mama's gonna look so great." The boy whispered, a few tears collecting at the corners of his oceanic eyes.

Then he turned back to the cashier and said again, "Sir, I wanna buy these shoes, for my Mama, please. It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. Could you hurry, sir? Daddy says there's not much time. You see, she's been sick for quite a while, and I know these shoes will make her smile. I want her to look beautiful, if Mama meets Jesus tonight."

The cashier nodded and smiled at the boy. He packaged the shoes with gentle care and handed the bag to the boy. When the boy turned to Xemnas, he knew he was catching a small glimpse of heaven's love shining down on him. "Thank you so much, sir! How can I ever repay you?"

Xemnas smiled, "By having a very merry Christmas with your family, okay?" He reached out and tweaked the boy's now rosy cheeks. The boy grinned, and thanked Xemnas again before running out of the store. That's when Xemnas realized that he'd never gotten the boy's name. _Maybe it doesn't matter._ He thought.

While he stood there, the cashier cleared his throat. "Sir? Are you going to buy those things or not?" Xemnas looked up. "No. I'm not. I'm sorry." He put everything on the counter and skirted out of line. Dashing through the double doors, he ran down the slippery sidewalk, trying to catch up with the boy. But he was nowhere in sight.

As he stood there in the middle of the walkway, snow cascading softly down from the skies onto him, another thought, more real this time, came to Xemnas' mind. Though not a particularly religious man, he knew that if there was a God out there, then He'd obviously sent that little boy to remind him of what Christmas is all about.

Then, he knew where he had to go next. Hurrying to his car, Xemnas started the engine and pulled out onto the road, trying to get to his destination before it got too late. But along the way, the boy's words ran through in his mind over and over.

. . .

Xemnas knocked on the door firmly, shivering a bit in the falling temperatures. But he straightened as the door opened, and Saix appeared in the doorway, holding his fleece blue bathrobe tightly to himself. "Xemnas." he murmured, casting his eyes down and starting to shut the door.

"_Sir, I wanna buy these shoes, for my Mama, please."_

"Saix, wait. I'm so sorry, love. I'm so sorry." Xemnas put his foot in the door and pushed it open again. He pulled Saix into a tight embrace and held him close. "I never wanted to take you or our love for granted. I never want to do so again. I promise, Saix. You'll come first in my life now." He whispered in the bluenette's ear. "Xemnas...I..." Saix was clearly speechless as he clung to the silver-haired man. He nuzzled into Xemnas' chest, and Xemnas tilted his head up for a tender kiss. "Forgive me?" he asked.

"_It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size."_

"Always." Saix whispered back, his yellow eyes glistening in the porch light. He led Xemnas in and took off his coat and scarf. Hanging them to dry on the coat tree, he took Xemnas' hand and pulled him over to the couch in front of the fire. Two mugs of steaming hot chocolate sat on the side table, as if Saix knew he'd be back tonight.

"_Could you hurry, sir?"_

Saix wrapped a thick blanket around the other man's broad shoulders and kissed his cheek before handing him a mug. "Somehow...I just had this feeling that you'd be back, so I made two mugs of chocolate. I've felt bad about our exchange of nasty words today, and didn't know how to apologize. I'm so sorry."

"_Daddy says there's not much time."_

Xemnas began to feel warmer, not just from the heat of the fire, but from Saix's kind words. "You don't need to apologize, Saix. I probably would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes."

"_You see, she's been sick for quite a while..."_

Saix nodded, but then glanced at Xemnas again. "You're face seems to be shining tonight, Xemnas. Something wonderful seems to have happened to you. Mind telling me about it?" He smiled at Xemnas and settled back to lean against him lovingly.

"_...and I know these shoes will make her smile."_

Xemnas paused; almost ready to tell Saix the whole story, but then he froze. He wanted to hold this memory close to his own heart; at least for a little while longer. "I will, Saix. Just not now. Perhaps someday...very soon."

"_I want her to look beautiful..."_

Saix cuddled against him and then took his mug. "Good enough for me." He breathed, before kissing Xemnas again. Xemnas cupped Saix's face in his hands and deepened the kiss, reveling in this feeling of peace he had inside.

"_...if Mama meets Jesus tonight."_

Later that evening, as they settled down for the night, Xemnas held Saix close in his bed and buried his face in the other's blue tresses. He closed his eyes, and as he did, the boy's final words came back to his mind. He smiled, and leaned over to the sleeping Saix's ear. "Merry Christmas, love." He whispered, before finally falling asleep.

"_I want her to look beautiful, if Mama meets Jesus tonight." _

...

Yes, it is done. sniff Okay, so I know Marluxia is not a woman, but I had to kind of make him a woman for this time...and this time only! Yes the little boy was Demyx, and the blonde is Vexen. It was the only way to fit it with the song. And I had to make the end all sappy. XD Well, I hope you like the product of my random inspiration! Thanks for reading. Reviews are very welcome! :'3


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